I generally provide a bit of detailed information with the quiz answers. Old Father Time, however, wouldn’t allow me to do so. Please enjoy the following findings about our Appalachian language from Appalachian English Quiz 5. Click the gallery images to look closer.   Aim to The Free Dictionary byContinue Reading

In a break from our usual practice, we’re releasing the answers to the quiz now, so you can check and see how you did. We will publish an article discussing the etymology and cultural context of our language next week. This will give us the opportunity to provide a thorough,Continue Reading

Welcome to our fifth quiz in Appalachian English. I always try to write some little introduction before the quiz with a little tidbit of information about our language. Here goes . . . The way Appalachian dialect is portrayed in media, literature, and television often discriminates against and inhibits us.Continue Reading

See how you scored in the answers below. Kilt a. Quilt b. Cult c. Killed d. Kiln The “t” ending in kilt first appeared in Middle English: kelit, kelyt, kylt, kilt. The ending was first documented in a 13th century work called The Gest Hystoriale of the Destruction of Troy.Continue Reading

I’d like to begin here by saying I am not a linguist. I have studied a small portion of linguistics, enough to understand a smidgen of what I respectfully consider a complex discipline. Thanks to our Associate Editor, Edward Francisco, who graciously gifted his library to me (one of myContinue Reading

I have a few pronunciation pet peeves. My language grievances may sound sanctimonious, especially to some folks who view Appalachian English as everything “un” – uncouth, unsophisticated, and uncivilized. Nevertheless, I cringe every time I hear: “I axed a question,” or, “He excaped through the window.” I’ll add to theseContinue Reading

Check out the following answers for Appalachian English Quiz 3. Appalachia Bare works to provide the best available answers, with the understanding that some words are said or meant differently in various Appalachian regions. Let us know in the comments if other meanings for these words exist. The following dictionariesContinue Reading

One day, I’d just hung up the phone after talking with my mother, and my oldest son asked, “Mom, how come you talk different when you’re on the phone with Mammaw?” “Do I?” I asked, puzzled. My youngest son chimed in, “Yeah. You do. You talk more country. It’s weird.”Continue Reading

Below are the answers to our Appalachian English Quiz 2. A bit of information about each word is given, using the following dictionaries:           Oxford English Dictionary (OED)           Dictionary of American Regional English (DARE)           Dictionary of Smoky Mountain and Southern Appalachian English Other resources are linked within the definitions and information.Continue Reading

Appalachian English is a mixture of old languages, and, as such, certain colloquialisms have often been used to illustrate that a distinct saying, a particular phrase, or a specific word derived from England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, France, or Germany. How so? As most of us know, mountain geography keeps peopleContinue Reading